Film spool for cameras



Feb. 25, 1941. G KENDE ETAL 2,233,389

FILM .SPOOL FO R CAMERA.

Filed April 25, 1938 31 I E zTORNEY Patented F eb. 25, '1941 2,233,389 FILM sroor. ron CAMERAS George Kende, New York, N. Y., and Philip J. Brownscombe, East Orange, .N. J., assignors to Universal Camera Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 25, 1938, Serial No. 204,103 5 Claims. Cl. 242-11) This invention relates to cameras. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved film spool construction for use in cameras.

One of the objects of our invention is to provide a novel construction of a film spool comprising driving means for rotating the same to cause the take up or rewinding of a film which has been fed thereto by a sprocket after each exposure, together with means to permit slipping action between said driving means and the film spool upon which it i mounted.

Another object of our invention is to provide a novel film spool construction provided with slip friction drive means to compensate for the increasing core diameter of the spool due to the convoluticns of film which are rewound thereon, and adapted for use in a camera having a chain of gearing between the sprocket and the film spool, in which chain of gearing there is no friction slipping action provided.

Still another object of our invention is to provide an improved film spool construction of the character described which shall comprise relatively few and simple parts, which shall be easy to assemble, which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which shall be simple to mount in operative position and readily removed, and which at the same time shall be highly efiicient for the purposes intended.

Other objects of thisinvention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

Certain features described but not claimed in this application are described and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 204,102, filed simultaneously herewith.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and

of which the scope of application will be indicated in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention:

Fig. l is a fragmentary view of a camera casing with a film spool, constructed in accordance with our invention, mounted therein;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, partly sectional, of the portion of the camera illustrated inF'ig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational view, partly sectional, of the film spool shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4.is an end elevational view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but illustrating a modified form of our invention; and

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view thereof with the gear removed.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, there is disclosed a portion of a camera I comprising the casing parts II and I2, which when in assembled relationship form the film spool chambers l5.

Mounted in one of the film chambers I5 is a takeup or rewind film spool 20, constructed in accordance with our invention and which may comprise a core portion 2i around which a film is adapted 10 to be wound, and a pair of flanges 22 and 23 attached to the core.

In certain types of cameras, such as for example, the type illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, a perforated film F is employed. The

while the gear 53 is fixed to a rotatably mounted shaft 42 having also fixed at one end thereof for rotation therewith a gear 43. The said gear 43 is adapted to mesh with a gear 44 integrally mounted on the sprocket wheel shaft 4|, to turn said shaft and sprocket 35. The camera, as illustrated in the drawing, is of the type which is so designed that the hand knob 58 can only be turned a predetermined amount, such amount being slightly more than sufiicient to advance the film for one exposure. The camera may be so designed that the turning of the knob 50 also acts so as to windv the shutter, thus conditioning the camera for exposure. After the exposure has been made, the hand knob is again free to tum the same amount as before, the cycle being thus repeated, as clearly disclosed and described in our co-pending application Serial No. 177,884, filed December 3, 1937.

lnorder to provide a uniform take up or re 5 fixed to the core 2| but is relatively rotatably mounted thereon. The core 2| is provided with a reduced portion 2Ia forming a shoulder 2"). The flange 22 is designed to fit on the extension 2la so as to rest against the shoulder 2lb, and

is mounted so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to the core 2|. Fixedly attached to the flange 22 by any suitable attaching means, such as the rivets 60, is a gear 25, and said gear being preferablyspaced from the flange 22 by means of an annular projection 6| which may be integral with the flange 22. The gear 25 is so designed that when the spool 20 is mounted in the camera as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be in mesh with an intermediate gear 45, the said gear 45 being, in turn, designed to mesh with the gear H which drives the sprocket 35.

In cameras of the character herein described. it is known that when the film F is first rewound on the empty spool, the core diameter is small, and that as the oonvolutions of film are received on the core 2|, the core diameter becomes larger. It is therefore necessary to introduce a friction slipping device at some point in the chain of gear-.

ing between the sprocket 35 and the spool 20.

By our invention, as above described, we have mits of no slipping action up to the point of engaging the spool. itself is equipped with a friction gear 25 which forms the last point in the chain of gearing when the spool is mounted in the film spool chamber l5.

As clearly shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawing, and as hereinbefore described, the flange 22 is rotatable with respect to the core 2| and the gear-25 is fixedly attached to the flange 22. It is therefore seen that whenever the gear 25 is caused to be rotated by the chain of gearing.

in the camera leading up thereto, the said flange 22 will also rotate. In order to cause the flange 22 to rotate the core 2|, there is provided a spring 62 fixed to the core extension 21a and which normally urges the flange 22 into frictional engagement with the shoulder 2|b, and thus causes the film F to be rewound on the spool 20. As the core diameter of the spool 20 increases, there will be a slipping action between the flange 22 and the shoulder 21b to compensate for such increase. it

For positioning or-mounting the spool 20 in the film spool chamber I5 there is provided a centrally disposed opening 29 in the core extention 2|.a which is adapted to receive therein a shaft 30 fixedly attached to the wall W of the camera casing part II. Projecting outwardly from the opposite flange 23 and centrally located with respect to the longitudinal axis of the spool 20, is a short shaft 3| which is adapted to be freely received in an open top bearing member 32'. The said bearing 32 may be attached to, or may be diecast as an integral part of, the casing wall Z. When it is desired to mount the spool in the chamber l5, it is merely necessary to cause the shaft 30 to be received in the opening 29 and to simply drop the shaft 3| into the bearing 32.

While in the drawing we have illustrated our invention as applied to cameras of the so-called candid type, it is understood that our invention may be used in the construction of other similar types of cameras. The gear 25 may be designed with a relatively large number of teeth so as to substantially always be directly in mesh with the camera driving gear 45 when the spool 20 is positioned in the film chamber l5 as above described. By this construction it will be unnecessary to turn or adjust the same into proper alignment for mounting the spool in the camera.

It is thus seen from the above described construction that there has been provided a fllm spool construction which includes a friction slip- In our construction, the spool ping member so that uniform take-up or re-wlnding of the film on said spool is insured as the core diameter of the spool increases due to the convolutions of film being wound thereon. It is also seen that the film spool constructed in accordance with our invention is adapted to be effectively used in combination with a non-slipping spool driving mechanismmounted in a camera, since 0111' improved film spool itself carries the slipping mechanism, thereby greatly reducing the number of times that the friction member is used, since a new friction member may be introduced into the camera with each new roll of film.

Also, it is noted that since the friction slipping member is removable with the spool, it may therefore be readily inspected.

In Figs. 5 and 6, there is illustrated a modified form of our invention in which the film spool comprises a core 55 and a pair of flanges 66 and 61 attached thereto in any suitable manner. One of the flanges such as, for example, the flange 65 is provided with a centrally disposed extension 68 on which there is adapted to be mounted a clutch member 59 having projecting portions 10 which are adapted to cooperate with a pair of driving slots ll mounted on a gear member 12 so that the said gear 12 and the clutch 69, when in operative position, will rotateas a unit. The clutch 69 is designed to be rotatable with respect to the extension 68 and is held captive on said extension by means of a Washer member 73 fixed to the extension 68 so that the clutch E8 is positioned between the washer 13 and the flange 66. A spring member 14 surrounding the extension 88 is interposed between the flange i6 and the clutch 69 so as to normally urge the said clutch into frictional engagement with the washer 13. It is thus seen that when the gear 12 is rotated and the clutch projections 10 are received in the driving slots H, the core 65 will be caused to rotate due to the frictional action between the washer l3 and the clutch 69. When the core diameter of the film spool increases. there will be a compensating frictional slipping action between said washer l3 and said clutch 69. The gear 12, which is designed to mesh with the core 45 in the camera, may be designed so as to be carried by the spool by having a shaft 15 fixed to said gear and received in the opening 16 in the extension 68.

Any suitable means commonly known in the art may be employed for attaching the end of the film F to the core 21 or to the core 65.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that, all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having .thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A camera film spool comprising a core and a pair of flanges, one of said flanges being rotatable relative to said core, a gear fixedly attached to said rotatable flange for rotation therewith, and a resilient member carried by said spool and adapted 'to urge the rotatable flange into frictional engagement with the core to rotate said core.

2. A film spoolcomprising a core, a pair of flanges, one of said flanges being rotatable relative to said core, a gear fixedly attached to said rotatable flange for rotation therewith, and resilient means for normally urging said rotatable flangeinto frictional engagement with said core to provide a i'riction slip drive between said gear and said core. a

3. A- film spool comprising a core, a pair of flanges, one of said flanges being rotatable relative to said core, a gear fixedly attached to said rotatable flange for rotation therewith, and resilient means for normally urging said rotatable flange into frictional engagement with said core to provide a i'riotion slip drive between said gear and said core, said resilient. means comprising a spring fixed to said core.

4. A film spool comprising a core and a flange,

a driving gear member mounted on said spool,

said driving member being rotatable relative to said core, and means for Iriotionally causing said driving member and said core to rotate together, said last. named means. including a spring interposed between said gear and said flange.

5. A film spool comprising a core and a flange, a driving gear member mounted on said spool, said driving member being rotatable relative to said core, and means for rrictionally causing said driving member and said core to rotate together, said last named means including a spring fixed to said core and interposed between said gear and said flange.

GEORGE KENDE. PHILIP J. BROWNSCOMBE. 

